Coca-Cola bet that an unknown Somali rapper could support its biggest marketing campaign ever. The company was right, and it may have launched a new star. Or not.READ»
This fall, I am working on wrapping up the manuscript for a book called Spreadable Media, a collaboration with MIT Convergence Culture Consortium. In short, businesses are looking at how content that circulates ultimately makes ...READ»
A parallel has been drawn between travel distribution and music distribution. Specifically, as to how the music distribution business has undergone changes that have decimated many of the industry leaders. This change seemed bad at first--that is, until Apple stamped it with a brand new spin and gee-whizzed some not terribly creative ways to make a buck at it.READ»
From one hip-hop artist, a leaked email exposing the ugly, angry side of the struggle between artist and label. From the other, a frank chat at the end of a long tour about owning one's art and brand. Two very different leadership lessons.READ»
The shoe already worn by rock royalty is opening its own recording studio and hosting unsigned artists. But brands are a long way from replacing record labels. READ»
Character is easy to define, but hard to quantify. This lesson struck home as I was reading the memoir of one doctor and later listening to an interview with another. They are Doc Watson and Doc Simon.READ»
Music, music app, tomato, tomahto? Seems so, lately. Artists from
Metallica to Mariah Carey have created apps, offering insider
information or employing voice-recognition software to rate users'
singing ability (Mariah Carey-oke, ...READ»
Unveiled today, Vevo will now be available on Google TV, complete with a custom user-experience, a variety of channels, and on-demand music videos. It's kind of like MTV...when MTV had music. READ»
Will the former KCRW "Morning Becomes Eclectic" tastemaker and "Star Maker of the Semipopular" find the next Coldplay, Interpol, or Norah Jones -- or just offer sweet relief from bland Internet music video?READ»
You ever notice how rappers all seem to have similar names? In the 1980's there were all the ices: Vanilla Ice, Ice-T, Ice Cube, Shaved Ice (okay, we made that one up). The trend continues apace -- and it's all gloriously charted in ...READ»
Apple negotiated with Facebook for more than 18 months to launch Ping, its new social network. How much heads up did they give to record labels? Absolutely none.READ»
Stanford undergrads squeal with delight at the slightest college reference, while Aaron Sorkin denies charges of sensationalism at a question-and-answer session.READ»
Is Apple about to re-jig the newspaper business and announce a subscription service for its iDevices? A hot new rumor suggests as much, and we almost believe it.READ»
We heard this rumor last week, and now it's official: GM is issuing a major update to its OnStar system, adding media controls, text-to-speech text messaging, Facebook, and even an app store. READ»
MTV has officially lost it. While those with TVs get to watch the least essential awards show of the year, those with mere Internet access get a bizarre, uncomfortable glimpse behind the curtain.READ»
The oft-flawless company stumbled in Ping's launch, and the reasons why are representative of Apple's relationship with consumers, record labels, and Google.READ»
Fresh albums and music festivals are but a thin slice of what's happening in the aural soundscape. At FastCompany.com, we cover everything from music-inspired design to technology-boosted beats to brand campaigns built on rock stars.READ»
Brazil, which has seen the number of foreign patients rise from 48,000 in 2005 to 180,000 last year--and is growing at a 30% clip year-over-year--is poised to draw still more from its neighbors and the U.S. thanks to shorter flights and a bump from futebol.READ»
